Feedback

3 Books You Need to Read for Leadership Self-Improvement — #readthisseries

by Joe & T.J. | Mar 15, 2020 | #readthisseries, Core Values, Daily Habits, Excellence, Feedback, Goal Setting, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Organizational Leadership, Principal Leadership, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership

For the first time ever, we’re posting a written #readthisseries. We’re practicing social distancing so we didn’t get together to film. It’s a serious time for all of us, and we pray for our nation and everyone around the globe. As we follow and abide by recommended health practices, it’s an opportune time to read. Below you will discover our book recommendations on the topic of self-improvement–something we’re covering all month long. It’s moments like this, when we are facing a true emergency, that we need to be at our best.

Our first book on self-improvement is one of our own, Passionate Leadership. This book is filled with real people, doing great work across the country. Some of these stories and situations are quite emotional. We outline several self- and organizational improvement strategies, including the concept of evolving from a teaching culture (a culture where the goal is to impart information on others) to a learning culture (a culture where the goal is for everyone to learn and grow together. In a learning culture, you’re in self-improvement mode all of the time. Check it out. You can buy it here.

Our second recommendation is Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss. The subtitle is “short life advice from the best in the world.” The book is anything but short, coming in at nearly 600 pages, but it’s packed with precisely the way that top performers self-improve to be their best. Find it here.

Our final recommendation, what we call the Mac-Daddy of all self-improvement books, is Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. Even though we haven’t been able to get in touch with Brene to interview her for our #onethingseries, we still feel strongly that her books are great. This one will change your life. If we all acted with the vulnerability to actually self-improve, not only would we change ourselves, but the whole world would change as well. Get it here.

If you’re at home because of social distancing, use some of this time to read. Let us know what you think of these three books or just give us a shout about what you’re reading to learn to lead better and grow faster.

Last thing, the first person to contact us via Twitter, using #readthisseries, will receive a copy of Passionate Leadership. All you have to do is tweet, “I am a passionate leader” and we’ll send you a copy.

Joe & T.J.

Review and Reflect: Being a Better Teammate — #reviewandreflect

by Joe & T.J. | Feb 23, 2020 | #review&reflect, Communication, Education, Feedback, Learning to Lead, Podcast, Teacher Leadership

This is TheSchoolHouse302’s monthly #reviewandreflect, wrapping up our focus on Being a Great Teammate.

This month we’ve taken a different twist on your workplace meetings by focusing on our individual contributions to a successful meeting. Simply put, this month is centered on how you can make sure meetings are productive, regardless of your role and title.

We featured three primary roles that successfully change the dynamic of any meeting. The first was The Moderator, who guarantees the meeting stays on track. The second was The Examiner, who creates the right environment to vet ideas. And the third was The Closer, who makes sure ideas are followed up on and assigned to someone. Without these key roles, your meetings are boring and likely a waste of time.

How productive are your meetings? Remember, regardless of whether you lead them or are there to participate in them, you can have a tremendous impact.

Self-Assessment:

1. Are the meetings organized well with a clear focus?

Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very Much

2. Are ideas systematically reviewed to determine their value?

Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very Much

3. Are ideas followed up on and assigned to someone?

Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very Much

Great Leaders Are Avid Readers

Review: In our #readthisseries we featured practical books that offer actionable information to improve your contribution as a teammate.

Our first recommendation is Jamy Bechler’s The leadership playbook: Become your team’s most valuable leader. As a former coach and athletic director, Jamy has great insight on teams and how to be a great teammate.

Our second recommendation is also from Jamy, The Bus Trip: The story of a team, a challenging season, and the lessons learned on a bus ride. Every day we can learn from life; Jamy captures quite a bit of our daily life lessons in this book.
The last book is by us and our good friend, Principal EL, Building a winning team: The power of a magnetic reputation and the need to recruit top talent in every school. This book is filled with great stories and practical ways that any leader can implement today.
Who should I follow…

What does an expert have to say about being a great teammate? With a tremendous amount of educational experience, combined with being a certified John Maxwell coach, Jamy Bechler has a unique way of turning everyday life experiences into leadership lessons.

Check out his interview here. The one critical takeaway that we always have to remember is our perspective. In any situation, we need to maintain a proper perspective to be effective. If we find ourselves emotionally hijacked or mentally disrupted, we need to create space between us and the situation.

What Next…

Every month we challenge our readers to take action with our Three Minute Challenges.

To wrap up the month, our call to action is for you to take responsibility for the success within your part of the organization by being the best teammate you can be. Be a productive part of every meeting, don’t contribute to the negativity, and willingly try be The Moderator, The Examiner, or The Closer.

Let us know how it works for you, #TheThreeMinuteChallenge.

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple and maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

Please let us know how our leadership posts are working for you, what you are reading to improve yourself, and your thoughts on leadership and growth here on our blog and Twitter. Follow our #onethingseries podcast on iTunes and our #readthisseries on YouTube.

Joe & T.J.

3 Books You Need to Read to Be a Better Teammate — #readthisseries

by Joe & T.J. | Feb 16, 2020 | #readthisseries, Core Values, Education, Feedback, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Organizational Leadership, Principal Leadership, Service Leadership, Teacher Leadership, Teamwork

#readthisseries

Don’t miss this vblog on books you need to read to lead better and grow faster. We recommend three titles that are must-reads on the topic of being a better team player. You can find our catalog of great leadership books at theschoolhouse302.com — click on #readthisseries.

Bechler, J. (2017). The leadership playbook: Become your team’s most valuable leader. MH Publishing.

Bechler, J. (2019). The Bus Trip: The story of a team, a challenging season, and the lessons learned on a bus ride. Book Services.

Jones, J., Thomas-EL, S., & Vari, J. Building a winning team: The power of a magnetic reputation and the need to recruit top talent in every school. London: Roman&Littlefield.

Joe & T.J.

Review and Reflect: Goals — #reviewandreflect

by Joe & T.J. | Jan 27, 2020 | #review&reflect, Communication, Education, Feedback, Learning to Lead, Podcast, Teacher Leadership

This is TheSchoolHouse302’s monthly #reviewandreflect, wrapping up our focus on Turning Goals into Reality.

Our Review and Reflect series embraces the powerful sentiment from Soren Kierkegaard: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Throughout this post, we take a deep dive into our leadership content so that you can develop the skills you need to lead better and grow faster.

Skills I need to develop so that I can achieve my goals in 2020…

We all have goals, dreams, and desires. Yet, despite our best efforts, we often fall short of truly achieving what we want. We know that motivation is fickle and willpower can be fleeting, so we developed a four part formula gleaned from seminal works throughout the ages. The key is not to pursue an endpoint, but to continually work toward success. Success is not a destination, it’s a lifestyle. It’s a culmination of efforts that result from a continual pursuit of greatness. For this reason, our formula has four phases that have a relationship with one another and that continually support your overall focus and growth.

Phase 1: Set One Big Important Goal. Identify one goal that you are passionate about and deeply want to achieve.

Phase 2: Bring It to Life. Write your goal down in words.

Phase 3: Create A Master Plan. Create a master plan designed with the details about what your goal looks and feels like once achieved as well as the deadlines for each of the moving parts.

Phase 4: Be Accountable. Get an accountability partner.

Are you on your way to success?

Self-Assessment:

How passionate are you about your goal?

Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very Much

To what extent do you review and meditate on your goal?

Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very Much

How clear is your master plan to achieve your goal?

Not at all 1 2 3 4 5 Very Clear

Who is your accountability partner?

_________________________________________.

Wherever you find yourself on the scale for each area, we encourage you to immerse yourself into some powerful literature to lead better and grow faster.

Great Leaders Are Avid Readers

Review: In our #readthisseries we featured practical books that offer actionable information to improve your goal-getting.

Our first recommendation is Kevin Carroll’s Rules of the red rubber ball: Find and sustain your life’s work. This is a fun and exciting book that demands action.

Our second recommendation is from Derek Sivers, Anything you want: 40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur. This is an excellent book that is very versatile.

The last book is by Fred Stuvek It starts with you: Turn your goals into success. Bottom line, this is a must read! Fred reminds us that we cannot achieve anything alone.

Let us know if these great reads change your leadership practices and deliver real results.

Who should I follow…

What does an expert have to say about achieving success? Fred Stuvek was our podcast guest for this month and the interview was enlightening. Fred brings a ton of experience to the show with very practical ideas. There is nothing like listening to someone who has diverse experiences, particularly military, and can articulate how they have contributed to his success. Fred unpacks leadership and how we have to get out of our comfort zones to achieve what we want.

Action: Throughout this month during our Three Minute Challenges we asked you to take decisive action to identify your goals and build a plan of action. If you haven’t completed those yet, don’t waste another minute.

Essentially, these are your next steps:

Phase 1: Set One Big Important Goal. Have you set it?

Phase 2: Bring It to Life. Have you written it down?

Phase 3: Create A Master Plan. Have you mapped it out?

Phase 4: Be Accountable. Have you reached out to the person?

Please subscribe!

Listen to the entire podcast on iTunes, One Thing Series, and please rate and like (it helps).

That’s our #review&reflect for goal setting in 2020. Take a look back to take a step forward.

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple and maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

Joe & T.J.

3 Books You Need to Read to Turn Your Goals into Reality in 2020 — #readthisseries

by Joe & T.J. | Jan 23, 2020 | #readthisseries, Education, Feedback, Leadership, Learning to Lead, Principal Leadership, Principals, Teacher Leadership

#readthisseries

Don’t miss this vblog on books you need to read to lead better and grow faster. We recommend three titles that are must-reads on the topic of goal-getting. You can find our catalog of great leadership books at theschoolhouse302.com — click on #readthisseries.

Carroll, K. (2005). Rules of the red rubber ball: Find and sustain your life’s work. Kansas City: McGraw-Hill.

Sivers, D. (2015). Anything you want: 40 lessons for a new kind of entrepreneur. New York: Penguin.

Stuvek, F. (2018). It starts with you: Turn your goals into success. Knoxville, TN: Truimvirate Press.

Joe & T.J.

Review and Reflect: Learning to Give Better Feedback to Grow Teacher Leaders — #reviewandreflect

by Joe & T.J. | Dec 29, 2019 | #review&reflect, Communication, Education, Feedback, Learning to Lead, Podcast, Teacher Leadership

This is TheSchoolHouse302’s monthly #reviewandreflect, wrapping up our focus on Feedback: Growing Your Teacher Leaders.

Skills I need to develop so that I can better prepare my teacher leaders…

In our travels, we rarely meet anyone who isn’t looking to improve in some aspect of his or herself. Yet, despite this desire within so many people, it’s incredibly difficult to take advantage of the most powerful way we learn and grow–listening and acting on critical feedback. Not only is it hard to receive feedback, it’s often even harder to give it. Given how effective it can be to provide and accept feedback, it’s fascinating to think that we would avoid it. As the Japanese proverb states, “better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”

Knowing the tenuous relationship that people have with feedback, yet understanding its incredibly influential nature, we developed a comprehensive feedback model. Our model specifically focuses on an often overlooked group of educators who need comprehensive feedback, training, and development to grow in the roles–teacher leaders. This is a group that administrators often take for granted because they are typically impressive in the classroom, but not investing in them as leaders is shortsighted and costly.

Effective administrators know that they can’t do it all themselves. Teacher leaders can grow as a very specialized and skilled group within every school. But, they need training and feedback on their leadership skills. That’s why we provide the Leadership Development Continuum Model. It allows leaders to differentiate the four types of training that teacher leaders need as they grow from novice to expert.

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. ~ African Proverb

Leadership Development Continuum Model

Quadrant 1–Foundational: The first level of leadership development is simply foundational. These are the building blocks of leadership traits and qualities. These structural elements range from effective communication to delegation. To satisfy this quadrant, we recommend doing a book study with your team.

Quadrant 2–Experiential: The next level of training is far more specialized. Experiential leadership training is designed to provide teacher leaders with job-embedded learning. Including teacher leaders during instructional rounds and other administrative work give them the experiences they need.

Quadrant 3–Practical: This level of leadership development is geared more toward an advanced or advancing teacher leader. Practical leadership development always involves a coach or supervisor who conducts a focused observation and then provides direct feedback to the teacher. You can use your department meetings as a time to observe your teacher leaders in action.

Quadrant 4–Topical: The most advanced leadership development scenario on the continuum is for leaders to attend a session at a conference (or other off-site seminar) on a topic that is specific to her developmental needs. This type of training is reserved for an expert leader who needs specialized training in something that cannot be delivered within the school or district. Remember, this isn’t about teaching; it’s about leading.

Teacher_Leader_Support_and_Feedback_Self-Assessment

Wherever you find yourself on the scale for each area, we encourage you to immerse yourself into some powerful literature to lead better and grow faster in the concept of feedback.

Great Leaders Are Avid Readers

Review: In our #readthisseries we featured practical books that offer actionable information to improve your feedback skills.

Our first recommendation is The feedback imperative: How to give everyday feedback to speed up your team’s success. If you want to take the mystery out of giving feedback, check out Anna Carroll’s book.

Our second recommendation is from Johnson, Liebowitz, and Perrett, The coach approach to school leadership: Leading teachers to higher levels of effectiveness. This is a terrific book for school and district leaders who are ready to lead the necessary change in their organization.

Our final recommendation is Thanks for the feedback: The science and art of receiving feedback well. This book by Stone and Heen captures the essence and importance of receiving feedback and how we can improve this aspect of ourselves.

Let us know if these great reads change your leadership practices and deliver real results.

Who should I follow…

What does an expert have to say about feedback? Anna Carrol’s book, which is practical, readable, and research-based, provides many of the answers we need to take our feedback to another level. We truly appreciate her book, The feedback imperative: How to give everyday feedback to speed up your team’s success. What we really like is how she spends time explaining the feedback loop and the critical importance of accurate feedback.

Action: Throughout this month during our Three Minute Challenges we asked you to take decisive action to improve the level of training you are offering your teacher leaders. All of those actions require a sound assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of your team.

Think - Plan - Act

Our TPA: A Framework for Growth Through Reflection, is a powerful tool for you to take time and evaluate the current skill level of your teacher leaders and the level of professional learning you are offering them. Reflect on the self-assessment survey you just completed and identify those areas that you need to develop with greater focus. Start today and let us know how well you are doing!

That’s our #review&reflect for feedback. Take a look back to take a step forward.

Please subscribe!

Listen to the entire podcast on iTunes, One Thing Series, and please rate and like (it helps).

TheSchoolHouse302 is about getting to simple and maximizing effective research-based strategies that empower individuals to lead better and grow faster.

Joe & T.J.

PS–We have a book on feedback for educational leaders as well. Check it out.

Candid_and_Compassionate_Feedback_Cover